A Year in the Dark
by BlackNymph
Summary: No one had expected it to last so long. A year in the dark is just too long for anyone.


He was back. Finally, he was back. No one had expected it to last so long--a year in the dark is entirely too long for any one man--and certainly no one had expected it to end so simply--after all, it _was_ a simple word from Kairi that had brought the two back to their home.

Sora had readjusted quickly enough, being the social butterfly he was, and had taken his life back within moments of setting foot on the sand of the island. Riku, however, hadn't felt quite so lucky. He kept his expression, his posture, his words carefully relieved, relaxed, natural, but the little voice in the back of his head continued to tell him that he didn't belong.

Still, he knew better than to take advantage of having a home like this--he'd learned that the hard way.

His eyes narrowed, scrutinizing, as he stood in the entrance of his house, keeping his hand on the doorknob. He realized, finally finding it in himself to cross the threshold, that everything was exactly as it had been. From his books (he used to read this crap?), to his clothes (when had he gotten so big?), to his broomstick-handle bokken (smiling faintly, he rested his fingertips against the worn handle), it was all still there where he'd left it.

Including the Paopu.

He wouldn't have noticed it if he'd left right away instead of stopping in the kitchen for a drink. He grabbed a glass, filled it with water, froze. The Paopu simply watched him from its place on the kitchen table. Slowly, he set the glass on the counter, still staring at it, cautiously, as though it would leap from the table at him in an assault of points and fruity destiny.

It looked exactly the same as it had that day ("_Winner gets to share a Paopu fruit with Kairi._"). Riku felt his knees buckle, vaguely guiding himself to a chair beside the table.

The fruit...how had it lasted? Sure, Riku had never any intention of sharing it with Kairi--he didn't want to take the chance away from Sora, who had to work twice as hard to achieve the same result--but why hadn't someone else taken it for their own means? How had it remained there, in the open, for that long year?

Riku shook his head, closing his eyes and leaning back in his seat. More important than the hows or whys were the whats--what was he going to do with it now? What _could_ he do with it? He knew no one would it accept it from him, even as a gift--"_That's yours, and those are rare. I couldn't; you keep it._" But what good was something he'd never use?

"Riku?" He started at the voice and knock that suddenly broke the silence, his eyes snapping open.

Sora stood in the doorway, his fingers curled into a fist and his knuckles an inch away from the surface of the door; his face held a somewhat puzzled expression. "You disappeared on us," the boy said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. He stepped inside, not waiting for an invitation, and moved to stand before the silver-haired boy. "We were wondering where you went off to."

Riku nodded, gave a small smile, but made no move to stand. "I just..." Just what? What was he doing? Why had he left? He swallowed, glanced around the room. "Just...wanted to make sure this is real." His eyes rose to meet blue ones; Sora nodded his understanding.

The next few moments passed in silence; suddenly, Sora pulled a chair for himself, straddling it backwards. Mirth in his eyes, he gestured to the star. "Long time since I've seen one of those."

The other boy smirked. "Yeah," he agreed, laughing slightly. "This is the one we raced for, remember?"

Realization spread over the brunette's features, and he broke into a smile. Laughing, he said, "Of course! I can't believe you still have that!"

This elicited a smirk and raised brow. "Well, yeah. Not like I'd have anything to do with it."

A grin. "Didn't you say you were gonna share it with Kairi?" The boy's tone was teasing.

"I told you I was kidding."

"Yeah, yeah." More laughing.

Silence again. Riku faintly heard the ticking of his alarm clock.

"Hey." Sea green rose once more to meet blue. Sora was smiling at him again, that disarming smile, empathic. "Wanna share it?"

Slowly, his lips curved until Riku found himself returning the smile.

"...Sure."


End file.
